Materials and structures that discriminate electromagnetic radiation based on one or more of its properties (e.g. polarization, frequency) can be useful in a wide range of systems. For example, polarizers can discriminate (e.g., transmit and/or absorb vs. reflect) electromagnetic radiation based on its polarization, irrespective of the angle of incidence, over a wide range of frequencies. Photonic crystals (PhCs) can reflect electromagnetic radiation of certain frequencies irrespective of the angle of incidence and irrespective of the polarization. A material system that could transmit and/or absorb electromagnetic radiation based on the angle of incidence could have a wide range of uses.